Article excerpt

At 6 p.m. Sept. 19, Tulsa's nonprofit WaterWorks Art Center will
launch the first fundraiser in its long history, hoping to establish
a quarterly cycle for its new Wine and Art event.

"We're optimistic and calling it Pairing No. 1," said Executive
Director Lee Anne Zeigler, who assumed her post in December.

This two-hour, reservation-only event at the 1710 Charles Page
Blvd. center will explore Spanish wines and artists under the
tutelage of certified wine educator Randa Warren and University of
Tulsa art history professor Maria Maurer.

Maurer, who joined the TU staff this week, said she would discuss
the works of five different Spanish artists, while Warren will offer
insights on appropriate wines.

"Everyone thinks of going to French and Italian wines, and that's
easy, but Spanish wines are up-and-coming and so are Spanish
artists," Zeigler said. "So this is a nice pairing."

Sponsored by the WaterWorks Advisory Council, the event will fund
scholarship programs by the 501(c)3 organization, along with various
equipment and workshop needs at the arts center. At $50 per person
or $90 per couple, Zeigler said the goal is to raise $2,000 above
the program's $1,200 cost.

The center will take reservations for up to 70 people. With just
under three weeks to go, Zeigler said there are 35 reservations in
hand.

"We hope to have 50 people," she said. "We'd love to have more
than 50 people, but we need 50 people for this to be a successful
fundraiser for us. Our seating is somewhat limited, so we'll only
take as many people as we can seat."

This city of Tulsa arts education organization dates back several
decades. Zeigler recalled taking weaving classes under the program
in the 1970s, when it operated under the name Johnson Atelier. The
WaterWorks name came in 1999 when the programs moved to the city's
original municipal water treatment plant, a 7,300-square-foot
facility built in 1908 beside the Newblock Park, just west of
downtown. …